VAD.HO Concept

Posted by Nikolai Kalenski on 03 March 2009, 11:52 AM

This year Vredestein and Giugiaro celebrate a decade of successful partnership, one of the main reasons for Vredestein to display the Giugiaro VAD.HO at the Geneva Motor Show this year. The VAD.HO is a concept car that matches the values and thoughts of the Vredestein brand perfectly.

The challenging "diversion" premiered in Geneva 2007 still represents a niche theme meant to be heatedly discussed: a super-sporty extreme two-seater fuelled by hydrogen to meet the increasingly pressing need to promote and develop alternative and environment friendly propulsion systems and to explore the potential challenge offered to design by a more flexible "displacement" of the chassis lay-out in new engine, mechanical, and electronic equipments.

The decision to remove the steering wheel took Italdesign Giugiaro to the creation of a highly innovative driving system: two joysticks are fixed on the armrests of the pilot's seating and pedals unit, where all elements can be adjusted and customized to the driver's needs. The armrest/joystick/ electrical pedals and seating unit is not connected to the chassis. This and its by-wire impulses system allow to adapt the different versions with right, centre and left driving with no onerous works once the vehicle should go into production. This system presents design - construction and performance - characteristics that prompted Italdesign Giugiaro to patent it.

VAD.HO is meant to be an open "work in progress": it has been positively welcome by BMW that accepted to provide for it their series 7 12 cylinders hydrogen powered engine.

One curiosity: the acronym "VAD.HO" is a play on words that uses the name of the Vadò industrial area in Moncalieri where Italdesign Giugiaro headquarters have been located since 1974, and also refers to the hydrogen propulsion system adopted for the vehicle (vado - or "I go" in Italian - on H).